The present invention relates generally to the field of devices for retaining surgical instrument and more particularly to a surgical drape on which surgical instruments can be retained during surgery, and a pouch attached to the drape for the same purpose.
During surgery a wide variety of instruments are used by the surgeon, requiring the surgeon to frequently lay one instrument down on a sterile surface and then pick up another. To facilitate this handling of instruments, sterile magnetic surgical drapes have been developed which are laid on top of the patient, proximate the surgical field. The instruments can be laid on the drape by the surgeon and subsequently picked up without requiring time consuming reaching by the surgeon. Since these drapes conform to the patient, magnets are embedded in the drape to magnetically attract the instruments to the drape and prevent the instruments from sliding off the drape and onto the floor.
A major drawback of these prior magnetic surgical drapes is that instruments fabricated from a non-magnetizable material, such as plastic or brass, will not adhere to the drape. Further, certain magnetizable instruments are adversely affected by proximity to a magnetic field. For example, it is critical that needle clamps release a needle when desired. However, if the needle clamp or needle is exposed to a magnetic field and either becomes magnetized, then a magnetic attraction between the needle clamp and needle will prevent release of the needle at the desired time.
Another difficulty encountered with prior magnetic drapes has been that even magnetizable instruments have a tendency to fall off the drape if they are placed between the magnets. In addition to requiring resterilization, instruments that fall on the floor are an annoyance which can break the concentration of the surgeon. Also, falling instruments which enter the surgical field, or which are sharp, can be hazardous.
Another device which has been developed for retaining surgical instruments near the surgical field is a pouch which is secured to a surgical drape by means of towel clamps or tape. Previously, these pouches have not been reusable since they were unable to be effectively sterilized, thus limiting their usefulness. Another drawback of these pouches has been the difficulty associated with manipulating the towel clamps, which are separate from the pouch itself.
Thus, a need exists for a surgical drape on which non-magnetizable surgical instruments can be retained, and which prevents instruments from falling off the drape. Further, a need exists for a pouch which retains surgical instruments and which is reusable.